If we simplify the situation, we can say that the problem with experience is that all companies want to find the most experienced candidates with the lowest salary expectations. On the other hand, every candidate aims to get the highest salary with the least knowledge and experience.
But of course, in the real world, everything is not linear and consistent. So I can tell you for sure that there are candidates who without proper experience immediately got a middle or senior position. And also, there are those who with many years of experience cannot even step over the position of a junior or often a middle. And when it comes to salary expectations, it is even more interesting, as again all financial issues are determined by the market and situation. There are hot vacancies that are taken by juniors at X2 of the average salary. But there are also projects where a senior can be paid 20-30% of the average salary. Therefore, the general recommendation for everyone who is just starting their career is not to chase after high-paying positions or titles, but instead focus on gaining the necessary skills and experience and building a solid foundation for their career. It is also important to be flexible and open to different opportunities, as the job market and industry can change rapidly. It is also important to be realistic about salary expectations, and not to have unrealistic demands. Instead, try to negotiate a fair salary based on your skills, experience, and the current market conditions. Remember, a high salary is not the only factor that should determine your career choices. Job satisfaction, growth opportunities and overall job security should also be considered.
But returning to the topic of experience, the situation is similar to that of knowledge, because in the end, as I wrote in my previous article, experience is knowledge + ability. Therefore, all the knowledge you can and should acquire immediately or over time needs to be transformed into experience. And this means that ideally, all your knowledge should be applied at least for training purposes and at most in other projects or in other situations.
- Learning experience. It may seem that once you have already acquired some knowledge or skills in IT, you are already quite good at learning new skills and easily understanding any new topic. But in practice, of course, it is not so. The problem of learnability is one of the biggest as in real life, technologies change at an astonishing speed. And if you can't keep up with technologies, or can't acquire new knowledge on a project, or understand a new domain, then you will probably have problems with productivity. Even if you already know and can do a lot, you will have to constantly improve. And for this, you need to get as much experience and knowledge in learnability as possible. And that means learning to learn and making sure that your learning process is effective.
- Experience working in a team. Like with learnability, the experience of working in an IT team is significantly different from the experience of working on another job not related to foreign companies and software development. But still, it is important to understand that any experience is experience, even if you got it in group projects in school or in group work at university or any other job, no matter what it was. Especially since teams can also be very different as well as managers and their management style.
- Experience in software development processes. This is usually what companies look for in candidates. Not just work experience, but compliance and participation in certain processes. Therefore, your understanding of these processes is so important. And the experience will be key to the success of your work. Therefore, it is worth paying special attention to processes and obtaining diverse experience in them. Whether it is compliance with processes, interaction with other people through processes, or the implementation of process metrics. Of course, due to the diversity of processes and their flexibility and adaptability, this is not the easiest task. But here, as with other experience - everything is learned in comparison. And when you have already gone through several teams with different processes - it is much easier for you to understand what is required of you, and also much easier to adapt in a new team and new process.
- Self-improvement and personal growth. You are very lucky if someone has already explained to you where and how you need to move. If you have taken any courses and after them you have a clear roadmap of where to move next - this is wonderful. If you have a detailed plan with checkpoints - this is even better. If not, you will have to figure it out and make one yourself. The execution of your plan will also be an excellent indicator of your discipline and understanding of what a process is and how to follow it - if you can provide a plan and a breakdown of its execution with time, amount of knowledge and experience in any format. In the end, the skill of presenting your knowledge and experience is what an interview is all about.
- Best practices. The problem with best practices is that there are many of them, there are whole books dedicated to good practices in programming languages or simply in writing code. Just like in managing people or projects or product management. But it is precisely this knowledge and experience, understanding which solutions are better in which situation, that sets a good specialist apart from a mediocre one. Therefore, developing such practices and solutions and subsequently presenting this knowledge and skills can also very advantageously distinguish you from other candidates.
- Experience in analysis and finding solutions. This is a problem faced by every inexperienced specialist without the proper knowledge. It is very difficult to move forward when you don't know where to go. Half of your analytical and search abilities will be based on the amount of knowledge you have and your ability to search for needed information and potential solutions. Ultimately, there is always a part of the answer in the question.
- English. The problem with language is not so much in not knowing the language but in not being able to use it. You may know all the words and rules, but what's the point if you can't understand, speak, and write? Although certificates from completed courses and tests will also be unnecessary.
- Experience in communication. The problem of communication is as big as it is old. It is probably one of the main aspects, the development of which will bring you the most benefits and efficiency. In any business, not just in job searching. Because how well you can express your thoughts and how well you can describe what you strive for will already provide you with a favorable position.
- Experience in related fields. Of course, gaining experience in related fields is mostly unnecessary, but trying is always a good idea. Who knows, maybe in related fields you will find something new or even more interesting. If you come from a related field, remember that it is your huge advantage and benefit. Knowledge and experience in related fields is what will allow you to be even more efficient.
I hope we all understand that the aspect of job search such as experience is one of the most important and global. Therefore, analyzing and making a solution for this aspect requires more time and effort. But in the end, experience is not something sacred and unattainable, on the contrary, it is absolutely practical, measurable and achievable. And in the following parts, I will try to describe my vision of obtaining the most practical experience without "real" work.
With that, I would like to conclude the fifth article.
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